Piano · Level 9 · Expert
Tritone substitution in B♭ major on Piano
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A tritone substitution replaces V7 with the dominant chord a tritone away. The bass then slides down by half steps into I — a signature jazz sound.
Cm7
Notes: C · E♭ · G · B♭
B7
Notes: B · D♯ · F♯ · A
B♭maj7
Notes: B♭ · D · F · A
HOW TO PRACTISE IT
Six steps to a clean loop.
- Play each chord on its own: Cm7, B7 and B♭maj7. Press play on the chord card, then match the sound.
- Keep the right hand curved over the keys and move it as one unit between chords.
- Set the tempo to 75 BPM and play the progression with one chord per bar. Play the bass line alone first: it moves down a half step from ♭II7 to I.
- Play the left-hand bass note on beat one and the right-hand chord on every beat.
- Raise the tempo to 100 BPM once you can play the loop three times without stopping.
- Record one take, listen back and check for the chromatic slide in the bass.
Listen for
Aim for the chromatic slide in the bass. A common mistake is thinking of ♭II7 as a random chord rather than a stand-in for V7.
Why it works
V7 and ♭II7 share the same tritone between their third and seventh, so either can resolve to I.
B♭ major has 2 flats; its relative minor key is G minor.
Questions
What are the chords in ii7–♭II7–Imaj7 in B♭ major?
In B♭ major the progression is Cm7 | B7 | B♭maj7 | B♭maj7.
What is the key signature of B♭ major?
B♭ major has 2 flats. Its relative minor is G minor.
Is this lesson right for my level?
This is a level 9 lesson (expert). If it feels too hard, start with “Altered dominant chords”.
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